On 30 May 2018, the European Commission (EC) published a proposal for the revision of the fisheries control system in response to loopholes identified in the current legislation and following the European Court of Auditors’ call for more efforts in European Union fisheries controls. To kick off the revision process that will last two years and involve multiple negotiation processes between the European Parliament, the EU Member States and the EC, a group of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) has issued a list of recommendations on how to ensure a strong future fisheries control system. The NGOs, which include, amongst others, ClientEarth, the Environmental Justice Foundation, Oceana, Our Fish, The Pew Charitable Trusts and WWF, will work with key decision makers and stakeholders in the coming years to ensure that the EU will deliver a robust control system.

The VGFSP provide guidance to strengthen and monitor compliance by flag States with their international duties and obligations regarding the flagging and control of fishing vessels. Paragraphs 6-43 of the VGFSP outline the Performance Assessment Criteria – ranging from fisheries management, registration and records of vessels, fishing authorisations, monitoring, control and surveillance (MCS) and cooperation between flag States and coastal States – against which countries are encouraged to rate the fulfilment of their obligations.

Today, Spanish authorities announced the arrest of almost 80 people involved in an extensive operation of illegal bluefin tuna trade, fished in Italy and Malta. The operation, led by EUROPOL, involved a large network of fishing companies and distributors, including one of Europe’s biggest seafood farming companies, the Spanish Ricardo Fuentes and Sons Group. The illegal catches entered the EU market principally through Malta, where more than twice the amount of illegal tuna was traded than legal, for an annual profit of €12.5 million. Last year, illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing was the 6th most valuable crime globally.

The European Commission is currently considering allowing subsidies for the construction of new fishing vessels in the European Union’s outermost regions – the most remote European territories. Such subsidies could drive overfishing, depleting essential marine resources and threatening food security, and there is no evidence that they provide any significant benefits to local communities, a group of NGOs has said.

Overall, 29% of the planet’s fish stocks that have been assessed are now over-fished and 61% are fully exploited, according to the latest report from the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation. Fishing supports the livelihoods of coastal communities around the world, and marine resources are often an essential part of local food security. This is especially true of poorer, developing areas, such as the outermost regions of the EU. Managing these fisheries in a sustainable manner, to ensure that fish stocks remain healthy, is crucial.

An international treaty addressing safety in the fishing industry (the Cape Town Agreement) has been developed and adopted through International Maritime Organization (IMO) but is not yet in force because it lacks sufficient ratification at national level.

As part of a major global effort to encourage ratification and implementation of the Cape Town Agreement, IMO and The Pew Charitable Trusts organised a roundtable event during the Global Fishery Forum in St. Petersburg, Russian Federation (13 September).

IMO’s Cape Town Agreement on fishing vessel safety provides a solid platform for improving fishers’ safety at sea and combating illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing by facilitating better control of fishing vessel safety by flag, port and coastal States. It currently has 10 Contracting States, but needs 22 for entry into force, along with a required number of aggregate fishing vessels.